St. Pete Beach fire chief accused of attacking bicyclist, nearly hitting him with truck: PCSO
ST. PETE BEACH, Fla. (WFLA) — Pinellas County deputies arrested a local fire chief on assault and battery charges after a traffic dispute turned heated, according to the sheriff’s office.
A release from the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office said at about 5:10 p.m. Thursday, deputies arrested St. Pete Beach Fire Chief Thomas McClave, 55, while he was off-duty.
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Deputies said McClave was driving behind a bicyclist on a shared bicycle-vehicle travel lane on Gulf Boulevard when he pulled up next to the other man and yelled at him to get out of the road.
According to the sheriff’s office, the two men got into a shouting match before the bicyclist moved to the raised median on Gulf Boulevard.
The release said McClave followed the bicyclist and purposefully drove his personal pickup truck onto the median, nearly hitting the man and causing him to swerve out of the way.
The off-duty fire chief then got out of his truck, went up to the bicyclist, and shoved him twice, deputies said.
“McClave also knocked a cell phone out of Hick’s hands, as he was trying to record the
incident,” the sheriff’s office stated.
The chief was arrested on charges of aggravated assault with a motor vehicle and simple battery.
Deputies said McClave had been the St. Pete Beach Fire Department’s chief since November 2023.
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